Goblin Slayer: Theatre of the Unknown Wanderer
by MidnightMint
Summary: What if in the universe of Goblin Slayer which is filled with as many grim and dark tales as bright and inspiring ones a unknown figure appeared? An unknown wander. A wanderer with exceptional skills for killing and an arsenal of weapons unheard of before?
1. Chapter 1

As the shadows inside the cave seem to crawl along its walls and floor, the smell of viscera, blood, and gore, accompanied it. That and the fact that they were exhausted both physically and mentally made it difficult for them to breathe through their noses alone.

A party of four porcelain rank beginners entered the cave, only two now ran along its path.

They never expected for the quest to be this difficult. They took the advice of the receptionist girl in the Adventurer's guild hall seriously and started only with a few quests regarding giants rats and roaches in the sewers just below the town. While those quests themselves paid a bit decently for porcelain adventurers, they offered little experience. Since they wanted to rank up quick, they decided that it was already time for them to take on a different quest.

A goblin slaying quest.

Regarding the payment, goblin slaying quests' rewards aren't all that different to the rewards for the giant rat and roaches slaying quest.

However, they do give more experience.

More experience equals faster chance to rank up.

But what they didn't expect was that the difference in terms of difficulty between the quests they've done before and the goblin slaying quest was too wide. Giant rats and roaches were quite strong but simple to deal with. Goblins on the other hand were quite tricky and even though they were quite stupid, they can think for themselves. Alone they don't amount to much, but they hardly act alone. They often attack in groups and likes to perform ambushes on unwary adventurers using the darkness inside the cave to their advantage. They carry weapons from stolen weapons and tools from adventurers and villagers to plain rocks they picked from the ground.

They already managed to kill eleven goblins including the two who seemed to be standing guard just by the entrance to the cave. It would've been much safer to wait out the goblins and set a surprise attack to counter them, but the knowledge of the captured village girls convinced them to rush in and save the girls as fast as possible.

And that's when they got ambushed by the goblins.

Human archer was at the rear of their formation. As they got ambushed, he was the first one to get attacked. With the use of a stone pickax, he was hit in the head before he could even nock a single arrow to retaliate. As he fell on the hard ground with a discernible thud, he was soon ravaged by several goblin and was ripped to countless shreds of flesh and blood.

Half-Elf brawler was almost stabbed in the back with a knife, but she was able to react by instinct and used her gauntlet covered hand to swipe the knife away from the goblin's hands and follow up with a punch with her other hand. However, due to her exhaustion, she couldn't muster enough strength to smash the goblin's head. Before long she was holding off several goblins at once.

Apprentice Scout did her best to give aid to her fellow party members. With the help of her daggers, she'd slain five goblins as she helped Half-elf brawler. But due to the sheer number of goblins, her daggers were soon slick with blood and fat making them less effective as a tool for slaying goblins.

The two of them would've been incapacitated by goblins already if it weren't for Rhea Fighter. She was the main frontliner of their party and stood strong as she fended off goblins after goblins. With her hammer she mashed more goblins than her two remaining party members. With her hammer and round shield, she had a good balance of offense and defense. But a single Rhea could only do so much against such numbers. Before long she found herself slowly being surrounded by goblins. She made a decision to gather as much goblins as she can and turn their attention towards her. After that. she shouted at her party members to run towards the exit of the cave.

Though they didn't want to leave Rhea Fighter all by herself as some sort of scapegoat, both Half-elf Brawler and Apprentice Scout knew that they had no choice. It was Rhea Fighter's own decision, so they had to honor it. With tears falling from their eyes, they ran away from Rhea Fighter leaving her to fend the goblins all by herself. They didn't want to think about it, but they knew what goblins did to the humans they manage to capture. So they felt really guilty about surviving with the help of the sacrifice of Rhea Fighter.

"I'm so sorry!"

"Don't apologize now! Do it when we get out of here!"

Due to the uneven ground in the interior of the cave, despite the elves' natural fleet footsteps, Half-Elf Brawler slipped as she stepped on a rock resting on the ground spraining her ankles. Apprentice Scout did help her, but their speed was way slower than before.

"I'm really sorry... please, leave me."

Hearing her please, Apprentice Scout glared at Half-Elf Brawler and reprimanded her.

"No way am I losing another ally! Don't speak like that! We mustn't let the sacrifice of our party member go to waste!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Enough! Just focus on not tripping again!"

Even with all their strength and will focused on their escape, none could deny the fact that they were severely exhausted and one was injured.

A group of goblins chased them relentlessly with sickening grin on their faces. Each goblin were already imagining the acts of violation they would do the two adventurers once they capture them.  
They would treat them as their playthings and their means of multiplying their numbers.

With lust and greed shining in their eyes, the goblins chased the adventurers with no rest.

"T-they're... catching up!"

"Shut up! Just shut up!"

Apprentice Scout did her best to ran as swiftly as she could while supporting Half-Elf Brawler with her shoulder. But she could see that her effort was futile. She didn't bother to look back, but hearing the sounds of footsteps getting louder, she could tell that the goblins were gaining on them.

A sickening thought crossed her mind.

In her mind, she imagined her casting Half-Elf Brawler aside and leaving her. Without the excess weight on her being, she could somehow manage to escape the cave.

Truthfully, she felt disgusted for thinking such an action. She shook her head to dispel to the idea and just ran with all her strength. She closed her eyes as tears from her eyes rolled down without stop.

It was futile.

She was terrified.

She felt like she was about to vomit as she thought about what would happen to them once they were capture by goblins. They would be their playthings. Violated in the cruelest and most barbaric of ways. Tortured for the sick amusement of the goblins. They would be impregnated and give birth to disgusting goblin offsprings till they let out their last breath.

A sick life of torment.

It was here that she thought of the tale of Goblin Slayer. Many adventurers and civilians chastised the adventurer for managing to reach the silver rank through exclusively slaying goblins. They mocked his cheap and dirty armor and his lack of common social skills. They thought that it was incredibly weird for someone to hunt a single kind of monster and reach the third highest rank.

However, him going on goblin slaying quests alone and coming back alive was actually an incredible feat by itself.

Their entire part was prepared and they didn't really underestimated the goblins. But they committed a mistake and that was all it took for the table to turn completely around against them.

As she heard a distinct noise behind her, Apprentice Scout let go of Half-Elf Brawler and drew out her daggers. She turned and saw a goblin leaping straight at them. With a spin of her daggers, she leaned backwards and as the goblin closed the distance she swung her daggers in a cross direction and slit the goblin's throat.

"Go."

"What?"

"Just go! Run away!"

"NO! I CAN'T!"

"JUST GO AWAY!"

"I WON"T LEAVE YOU!"

Despite Apprentice Scout's pleading, Half-Elf Brawler rejected her words.

"I can... still fight."

With shaking legs, Half-Elf Brawler stood up and poised herself into a fighting stance. She winced as she felt pain from her ankle as she put her weight unto it. With a torch in her left hand, she readied herself.

"You're such an idiot."

"So are you."

Side by side, the two adventurers stuck close with one another ready for the last stand. The horrific events they will experience afterwards weighed heaviliy in both their minds and hearts.

But there was no way around it.

The goblin ahead of the group grinned widely as he jumped forwards with a huge stone in its hand. It intended for the for the stone to strike the head of one of the adventurers and knock it down. Then they would feast in depravity on the poor helpless adventurer.

"Hyaaah-!"

As Apprentice Scout was about to swing her daggers, a loud deafening noise erupted throughout the interior of the cave. Both her and Half-Elf Brawler's ears rung painfully as the loud noise echoed all throughout the cave. After the noise, they heard the sound of a body falling disgustingly on the ground in front of them.

Looking in front of them, they saw the goblin whom was leaping before one the ground lifeless with a huge hole on its head.

* * *

They looked back to where the loud noise seemed to originated from and saw a figure standing a good distance away from them.

Due to the distance and the darkness of the cave, they could hardly make out what the figure exactly looked like. But from what they could see with their eyes; the figure wore a dark cloak with a hood over its head. The figure was holding a weird weapon that none of them recognized.

The weapon was long and a bit thin. The figure wielded it pointed towards their general direction.

"...-asses."

The figure spoke, but they could't really hear it clearly.

"I said on the side and on your asses, you morons!"

With the shouting of the figure, both Apprentice Scout and Half-Elf brawler rushed to the side up to the cave walls and sat their as they held their arms over their heads.

The figure adjusted its weird weapon slightly and continued aiming at the confused goblins. With a slight movement on its finger a quick flash of light appeared and another deafening noise erupted. After that, another goblin fell lifelessly to the ground.

"Eight."

With swift movements, the figure adjusted something from its weird weapon and a small object came out. The object was small and hard to see but it made a metallic clanking noise as it fell on the ground.

The figure adjusted its weird weapon's aim slightly again.

A quick flash shone and a noise erupted.

Another goblin fell with a hole in its head.

"Seven."

Once again, the figure repeated its action of adjusting something on its weird weapon and another small object fell and made a clanking noise.

The figure aimed, a flash, a noise, and a goblin fell.

"Six."

The figure repeated its action several more times.

"Five."

A goblin fell.

"Four."

Blood and brain matter spilled on the cave wall and floor as another goblin died.

"Three."

Two goblins fell simultaneously as their head were blasted through.

"Two."

The goblins became afraid as another one of their kin fell to the ground without any sign of life remaining.

"One."

With another loud deafening noise, a goblin fell as its mouth got blasted apart with a disgusting sound.

"Zero."

Apprentice Scout and Half-Elf Brawler couldn't believe the scene that was unfolding before them. The figure with the use of its weird weapon just killed goblins one after another with such ease.

The figure looked forward to the remaining goblins and shook its head.

"Eww there's a lot of you. It makes me wanna puke."

The figure raised its weird weapon and slung it across its back. The weird weapon was secured by what seemed like a leather strap. Reaching with its hand, the figure unsheathed a knife with a serrated side opposite to its sharp edge. The knife that seemed to have been made with dark steel shone as the light from Half-Elf brawler's torch reflected from its glossy surface.

Flipping the knife in the its hand to hold it in reverse grip, the figure rushed towards the remaining members of the goblin group that were chasing them. With quick footsteps, the figure reached the goblins in no time at all.

One goblin swung its hammer down towards the figure, but the figure caught the hammer's handle with using its free hand and flipped the goblin to its back. With swift hand movements, the figure swung its knife in a horizontal direction and slit the throats of two goblins approaching her. Using the momentum gained, the figure directed its hand towards the first goblin it flipped to its back and stabbed it straight through the head.

Another goblin ran towards the figure, but was kicked on the knee and thus feel to the ground face first. As the goblin fell, the figure threw her knife towards the goblin just behind the first goblin. The knife flew straight towards the goblin's head and it fell to the ground. Unsheathing another knife from her belt, the figure swung it down towards the first goblin that was still on the ground and killed it.

The remaining goblin swung its grime covered sword, but the figure swatted it using its free hand. As the goblin lost its balance, the figure plunged its knife through the goblin's chest and it died quickly.

"Hmph."

* * *

After the last of the goblins that chased the two adventurers fell, the figure looked around and seemed to have released a sigh. The figure raised both its arms and stretched them releasing a sound from its lips.

"Aww this is so lame. Look at this shit." The figure said as it looked at its knife that was now covered in goblin blood and fat. "Disgusting." The figure walked up to one of the goblins and took its knife that was embedded on the goblin's head.

The figure reached into her hood and adjusted something. Afterwards she pulled out a piece of cloth and carefully wiped the blood and fat that covered both of its knives.

"Is there anyone else inside?" The figure spoke.

Apprentice scout and Half-Elf Brawler only looked at the figure in bewilderment and offered no response. The figure looked back at them as it finished cleaning the knives and threw away the used cloth. With quick and slightly aggressive footsteps, the figure approached the two adventurers whom were still seating on the ground.

The figure stood before the two adventurers. With a swift motion, the figure took off its hood and the clear glass gear that seemed to be some sort of protection hung from its neck by a strap.

Without anything obstructing the view, the two adventurers could finally see now what the figure's face was underneath the hood.

The figure was a beautiful woman. She had long glossy raven-black hair and jet-black colored eyes to match. She had skin so white it almost looked translucent. She had a sharp gaze to her eyes and her mouth was in a slight scowl. On her left ear was dark-violet earring that glowed as the light from the torch shone on it.

"Did I fuckin' stutter?" The woman leaned in closer "I asked if there was anyone else inside!?"

The two adventurers flinched at the sudden increase in volume.

"...J-just goblins."

Hearing their response, the raven-haired woman rested a palm on her face as she released a sigh of exasperation.

"I do know for a fact that there are more of those green shit-faced swines further inside. This is a goblin nest after all!" "She then raised a finger and tapped her forehead. " What are you deaf or dumb!? That's not what I'm asking about!"

The adventurers then realized what the woman was asking about and hastily spoke up.

"O-one of our party member... sacrificed herself to help us escape."

"So she's a female adventurer then?"

"Yes."

"Alright then. Huge chance that she's still alive, but whether or not her mind is still completely safe is unknown."

The woman pushed aside a portion of her cloak and reached into the satchel she was carrying that was hidden from plain sight by the cloak.

"Catch."

She then threw two objects towards the two adventurers which Apprentice Scout caught both with her hands. Looking at the object she saw a glass vial that was covered halfway with a brown cloth and threads.

"A stamina potion. Knock it up then follow me."

The two adventurers looked at the woman with wide eyes due to their surprise. A potion cost one gold per vial. It was an exceptional luxury item that can help adventurers in various ways. Such an item was hard to buy for beginners. After all, beginners use their money for equipment, thus they don't have the spare money to afford luxurious items.

A healing potion, a stamina potion, an antidote. Such recovery items were expensive but highly recommended to be bought by an adventurer.

The woman leaned against the cave walls and grab the weird weapon from her back. She rested it along her forearm as her other hand reached into her satchel and took one several tiny objects.

The tiny objects the woman took out seemed like small brass-colored cylindrical metallic containers or tubes. With precise hand movements, she grabbed one with her thumb and forefinger and inserted it into the side of her weird weapon. She repeated the action several times to a total of 9 times.

"The hell you looking at me for?" The woman scowled at the two adventurers. "Knock those potions up and do what I say."

With the aggressive tone of voice of the woman, the two adventurers had no other choice but to drink up the stamina potion given to them.

"Good. Looks like your minds' still decent enough to follow simple instructions." The woman mocked.

Though she wanted to say something in response, Apprentice Scout didn't open her mouth. The woman did save their lives after all. The least they can do is obey the instructions of the woman despite her rude disposition and unusual yet crude manner of speaking.

"Now then, you two." The woman pointed to one direction among the cave floor. "Pick up those cartridges err-metallic casings for me. I need to reuse them."

Half-Elf Brawler looked to the direction where the woman was pointing at and directed her hand holding the torch to the area. There were several small metallic casings similar to the ones the woman was inserting to her weird weapon scattered on the floor.

"Pick those up for me. There should be a total of nine of them." The woman then turned her back and started to walk further into the cave. "After that, follow me."

"D-don't you need any light?"

The woman didn't say anything but instead raised one finger and gently tapped it on the earring she was wearing on her left ear as a response.

Staring at the back of the woman as she walked further away from them, they notice another strange weapon slung across her back.

* * *

There were several loud noised that echoed throughout the cave, but they couldn't care less about it.

Why?

They figured it was no use worrying about it because it would be impossible for the remainder of the adventurer party to defeat them.

It was only a matter of time before the others came back with the two female adventurers in their arms.

The goblin shaman laughed.

In his sights he could see his fellow goblins enjoying their acts of violence and lust in the captured female villagers. Groans and the sound of struggling were music to their ears and only helped inflate their greed for dominance. It was a good day. Though they did lose some of their numbers, they managed to obtain another female woman to play around with and breed with.

A Rhea.

She was strong for someone her size. If their numbers were any less, perhaps the Rhea could've managed to defeat them or at least run away.

But alas, their number advantage was good and the Rhea was soon incapacitated.

He already had his fill of the village girls, so he was generous enough to let the others play around with the Rhea. Soon though, he too would have his way with the Rhea.

"Get off me!" A voice shout out.

Looking over towards the Rhea, he saw that she was completely surrounded by his brothers.

"I-I'll kill all of you! All of you!"

The sound of straining and groaning engulf her part of the area and the sound of other human women sobbing was mixed here and there. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the lone goblin champion they adopted a while ago eating a huge portion of the cattle they stole from a village. He was smaller and noticeably weaker than most champions, but he was one nonetheless. He was strong and his brute force was second to none in their group.

He managed to convince the champion that he was stronger by showing his magical powers and how much influence he had on the group. Thus the champion was quite loyal to him.

Soon, their numbers would grow greatly and then they would be able to attack villages out in the open with full numbers and take everything for themselves

As he was about to laugh, he noticed something fly in their direction. The object was small and round. It bounced a few times before rolling closer to him. He smelled something strong emanating from the object. He stood from his seat and approached the object which was just a few steps away from him.

Looking down, he noticed the object was dark and round. It had a small rope or string sticking out from one of its side. The end of the string was burning slightly and producing smoke.

As he was about to pick it up, the object exploded.

* * *

Two more explosions erupted followed by the sound of the familiar loud noise.

After collecting the small metallic casings, Half-Elf Brawler and Apprentice Scout hurriedly followed the woman further into the cave.

When they reached into the area deep in the cave, they covered their noses as they smelled something burning along with the smell of viscera and gore. Remains of countless goblins were splattered all over the cave walls and floor. The captive village girls were stark naked and were covered by goblin entrails but they were unhurt from the explosions.

In a panic, Half-Elf Brawler and Apprentice Scout scanned the area with their eyes in hope to find the Rhea Fighter. Their eyes rested upon the naked body of the Rhea Fighter hanging in the air by a big green hand. A huge muscular goblin was holding Rhea Fighter with its arms and were pointing with other hand at the woman whom were standing in front of them at a decent distance away.

Rhea Fighter was struggling under the arms of the huge goblin, however due to her exhaustion her efforts were in vain.

Though the huge goblin's words were gibberish to all of them, it wasn't hard what intentions was behind those gibberish words.

Drop your weapon or this girl dies.

That was the meaning.

Their hearts raced as they watched the woman stare at the huge goblin in silence. After a moment of pure silence from the woman, she removed the strap attached to her strange weapon. She bent her body forwards and carefully place her weapon on the ground.

"Happy?" The woman said.

The huge goblin grinned widely at the sight. With slow steps, the huge goblin walked towards the woman.

"...N-no...Look ou-"

"As if."

Once they huge goblin was just a few steps away from her, the woman reached to her back and drew out her other weapon from its leather holder.

The strange weapon was similar to her other weapon that was on he ground. It was long, but not as long as her first weapon. It seemed to be made of black metal and dark wood.

The woman twirled the weapon in her hand and pointed it at the huge goblin's knee. With a slight movement of her finger, the end of the strange weapon produced a spark and smoke which was accompanied by a loud noise.

"OOOOGGGGBBOOOOOoooghh!"

The huge goblin howled in pain as its right knee was completely blown right into countless bits of blood and flesh. With one of its knee gone, the huge goblin fell down to its hand on the ground.

The Rhea Fighter was thrown to the side.

It was hard to see, but the huge goblin was sweating profusely. His faced was painted with a discernible expression of intense pain and agony.

"Yeah, that's right. On your knees." The woman said. With a smug expression, she took steps closer to the huge goblin and looked down on it. "Where's that shit-eating grin you wore on your face moments ago?"

The woman then looked back to both Apprentice Scout and Half-Elf Brawler and gestured them towards Rhea Fighter with a tilt of her head to the Rhea's position. With haste and without any hesitation, both of them ran towards Rhea Fighter.

"I've heard of your kind before." The woman looked back to the huge goblin. "You're like hobgoblins right? But bigger, stronger, and smarter. Goblin champions was it?" The woman rubbed her chin with her free hand as she fell into thought and let out a snort. "Champions...pfft... What are you the champion of? Champion of rocks and filth?"

The woman then brandished her strange weapon and pointed it directly at the huge goblin's face as it looked up to her.

"You're nothing more than a big green disgusting swine." The woman inched her weapon closer to the huge goblin's head. "So why don't you do me a solid and fuck the right off?"

With one final blast from her strange weapon, the huge goblin's head erupted into countless chunks of blood, flesh, and brain matter.

**To be Continued(_Maybe_)**

* * *

**Afterword**

Hey ya!

I've always wanted to write a story about the series Goblin Slayer. It's one of my favorite light novels to read, though number one spot is still overlord haha! The Goblin Slayer universe is really fantastic for bringing out the grim and dark feelings of a fantasy story. Realistic and not afraid to show dark and disturbing stuff! Though I do dislike when I read the parts about the women being abused by goblins, it does feel satisfaction and a bit of liberation when the goblins meet their end.

You know what was one of the things that made it quite hard writing this? Typing 'Half-Elf Brawler'! I always seem to incorrectly type it as either 'Helf-Elf Brawler' or 'Half-Elf Bralwer.' Sometimes I even type it as 'High Elf Archer' by mistake! It's kinda funny thinking about it.

Anyways, hope you all will like it. Please leave a review as they are always helpful in writing and are very good inspirations and guides. Tell me what you think.

A question though; What do you think should the class name for the wanderer be?

If you spot any mistakes regarding spelling, grammar, continuity, feel free to send me a message and I'll fix them as soon as I can. Have something to recommend? Feel free to message me all about it.

Again, I hope you'll like it.

See ya in the next chapter(I hope)

Laters~


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter _II_**

* * *

Apprentice Scout and Half-Elf Brawler looked in awe as the woman killed the huge goblin with such ease.

They looked as the woman grabbed the end length of her strange weapon with one hand and seemed to break it two parts. As part of the woman's strange weapon seemed to break and bend, two small objects came out from the weapon. With a metallic clang it fell to the ground. They turned their gazes towards the objects that fell and noticed that it was metallic casings similar to the one they picked up earlier but with a few difference.

The casings that fell from the woman second weapon, were more fatter and a bit shorter than the metallic casings they picked up before. Additionally, it wasn't just brass-colored but appeared to be covered with something in the color of red.

Reaching into her satchel, the woman pulled out two similar metallic casings and inserted it to the stranged weapon she was currently holding. She then straighten out her weapon and click could be heard afterwards. Then the woman slung the strange weapon to her back and inserted it to its leather holder. Raising a hand, the woman pointed to one part of the area.

Apprentice Scout and Half-Elf Brawler followed the direction where the woman was pointing at with their eyes. There at the very back of the area was a very dirty tattered cloth hung from the wall. It had no unique details to speak of, just a regular dirty brown cloth.

"That place should be their storage. It should be where they keep the stolen crops and tools they took from villages." The woman then walked up to her other weapon that rested on the floor. She looked at and scowled as she noticed the dirt that got attached to it from the ground. "It may also be where their disgusting shoats are."

Apprentice Scout looked at the woman confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Goblin children. They're like pests" The woman replied. "Actually, scratch that. They are pests and they multiply fast like one. Even in a short amount of time they would've already doubled their numbers."

"You seem to know a lot about these goblins."

"If you are out with a goal and a target, it's very important to learn as much as you can about your target."

Rhea Fighter has been laying on the ground motionless as she continued to pant hard. However, as soon as she heard the words of the woman, with shaking legs she stood up using her arms as support.

"H-Hey?" Half-Elf Brawler called out to her, but no response was heard.

Rhea Fighter looked around the area before stopping her sights at a certain direction.

Her one-handed hammer. Despite it being her very first weapon since she registered as an adventurer, it was well taken care of. She cleaned it regulary after every quest they did and applied a coating of oil in order to protect it from rust.

But the hammer right now was in a sad state.

It's blunt edges had numerous dents on it. It's glossy surface was lost and was now covered with flesh, entrails, brain matter and filth. It no longer smelled like metal but rather smelled of viscera.

With slow and shaking steps, Rhea Fighter walked up to her hammer and picked it up. Her grip was tight and firm as if what she was holding in her hand is her anger itself. Looking towards the area where the cloth was hung, she walked up to it without any words to speak.

"W-wait! Don't go there-!" Half-Elf Brawler stood up and tried to stop Rhea Fighter in her tracks.

The woman walked up to Half-Elf Brawler and raised her hand to gesture Half-Elf Brawler to stop her actions.

"Leave her be."

"Why!?"

"Just leave her be." The woman repeated but in a much firmer tone.

Half-Elf Brawler looked at Rhea Fighter with a worried look but felt disturbed after her gaze traveled downwards and noticed the blood dripping from between Rhea Fighter's thighs.

Without another word from the woman, Half-Elf Brawler knew what she meant.

"Here. Take these and cover the girls properly" The woman withdrew three thin cloaks that were rolled up and secured with a strap from her satchel. The cloaks were thin and light so they didn't take that much space after being rolled up. ". Afterwards, check to make sure these pests are really dead."

"Yes!" Half-Elf Brawler received the rolled up cloaks. "At once!"

Tearing the cloth hanging, A crude wooded door was revealed. Without any warning, Rhea Fighter kicked the crudely-made door down and a bunch of small squeals could be heard from within.

Five goblin children were all huddled up together looking up at Rhea Fighter.

What Rhea Fighter felt looking at the goblin children was anger but somewhere deep within her a sense of pity sparked. Looking at the tears welling up at the corner of the eyes of the goblin children, she felt a bit of pity for them.

"Are you going to kill them?" A voice called out.

Rhea Fighter looked back and saw Apprentice Scout standing behind her.

"They're just children." Apprentice Scout said with pity in her tone.

"I-I..." Rhea Fighter was confused and didn't know the words to say.

A sense of pity, but her anger was still present.

"Kill them or not, it's your choice." Another voice called out.

The woman walked up to them and saw the sight of the goblin children.

"But remember that even if you let them go, it's not like they'll feel grateful to you or anything."

Apprentice Scout stared at the woman unknown to what the woman was trying to imply.

"We're the ones who invaded their nest and killed their kind. No creature with a mind-no matter how fuckin' simple it may be-will ever forget that." The woman continued. "Leave them and they'll run around desperate stealing crops and livestock from small villages near a forest in order to live. They'll grown, learn, and eventually become stronger."

Both Apprentice Scout and Rhea Fighter listened to the woman explain in silence.

"This scene right here." The woman gestured towards the village girls whom were being covered up by Half-Elf Brawler with a cloth. "This will happen again and it might be because of the goblins here that you freed."

With the words of the woman, something within Rhea Fighter snapped.

The disgusting feeling of the goblins messing around with her body and treating her as if she was nothing more than a plaything. The mocking laughter she heard that came out of the goblins' mouths as they abused her. It all flooded inside her mind and her anger quickly rose.

She clenched her teeth tightly and the grip she had on her weapon grew more firm.

The goblin children looked up as Rhea Fighter raised her hammer all covered in blood and gore. One of the goblin children reached into its back and slowly tried to withdraw a rock that was laying on the ground.

Seeing this, Rhea Fighter no longer felt any hesitation.

With haste but with weight, Rhea Fighter swung her hammer down hard and smashed the goblin that was trying to pick up a rock. With a disgusting thud, the goblin fell unto the ground as its flesh and brain matter splashed along the ground and the wall.

Cries could be heard from the remaining goblin children.

But Rhea Fighter showed no sign of hesitation and once again swung her hammer.

A goblin tried to guard itself using its arms, but it proved fruitless as the hammer crushed its flesh and bones as if it was nothing more than wet dirt.

Rhea Fighter didn't stop in her actions and continued swinging her hammer down without any hint of remorse nor mercy.

Apprentice Scout tried to intervene but the woman placed a hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

The sound of meat and bones being crushed and mashed into indistinguishable pieces continued for a few minutes without any stop.

"That should be enough." The woman called out.

Rhea Fighter stopped the hand holding her hammer mid-swing and looked back towards the woman looking at her with sharp eyes.

"That should be enough." The woman continued. "I mean I can no longer tell if they were either goblin children or grounded meat that was thrown unto the ground."

Rhea Fighter looked down to the ground and saw the corpses of the goblin children or atleast what remained of it. The ground was red from the flesh and blood that splattered all over and the air smelled of viscera and gore. It prickled her nose and she felt her body tremble. Feeling her stomach churn, she fell on her knees vomiting emptying the contents of her stomach.

Apprentice Scout approached Rhea Fighter and covered her with the cloak she was wearing earlier. It was all tattered up due to the fighting they've done before the woman appeared but it's better than leaving Rhea Fighter stark naked.

"You. Go back there and check the contents of those crates and see if they contain anything useful." The woman ordered Apprentice Scout.

"Anything useful?"

"Probably like tools and stuff they've stolen from villagers and adventurers. They could still be useful so we'll bring them along and give them to a village. Whether they want to use it or sell them is up to them."

"I understand." Apprentice Scout nodded.

"Have your friend help you with that." The woman gestured towards Half-Elf Brawler. "After that we can finally leave this place. I don't want to stay in this shit hole any longer."

* * *

They were already a long way from the goblin nest when they've decided to stop and set up camp. Using the medium-sized cart the woman left just a few meters away from the entrance to the goblin nest, the party used it to carry the three village girls and Rhea Fighter. Since the cart was now carrying four people and the additional belongings of the woman it was quite heavy.

Apprentice Scout and Half-Elf Brawler pulled the cart while the woman walked further ahead of them to scout the area. As night fell they've decided to set up camp to pass the night. Using the tent that the adventurers' bought with them and the one the woman had brought, everyone present had a place to sleep in except for one.

"You guys use the tent you've brought and the rescued girls will be using mine." The woman stated in a plain tone. "I'll keep watch till sunrise."

Though the adventurers voiced their protests about doing the nightguarding duties in shifts, the woman shut them down without giving any heed to their words.

With a campfire, the woman brought out a pot from her belongings from the cart and filled it with clean water. Using a kitchen knife she cut several vegetables from her supplies. She had cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes and cut them all in thin slices. She brought out some dried meat and diced them neatly. Using some butter, she lightly fried the sliced vegetables being careful in making sure they don't turn brown. Afterwards, she poured some milk into the pot and continously stirred the contents gently until it began to thicken a bit. She added some salt and added a bit of broth to thin it out a bit for ease of digestion.

The woman then removed the pot from the fire.

"There should be a few wooden bowls in my stuff." The woman pointed. "Get them out for me."

Half-Elf Brawler followed the instructions of the woman and searched for the bowl. After finding it from one of her bags, she pulled it out and laid it in front of the woman.

"There's only five bowls." The woman stated as she counted the bowls in front of her. "One for each of the rescued girls and two for your group."

The adventurers nodded.

"There's three of you so two of you will share one bowl. Give the remaining bowl to her." The woman pointed to Rhea Fighter.

"How about you?"

"I'll eat after all of you." The woman said. "So try not to eat so slow like a fuckin slug."

The woman then walked up to her stuff and pulled a sack and put it next to the pot.

Apprentice Scout reached for the sack and opened it and saw that there was bread inside.

"You seem to have a lot of food." Half-Elf Brawler observed.

"Eating is one of the pleasures I adore." The woman stated in a plain tone. "I don't want to do some work or wander around with shit to eat."

The woman then used a ladle to pour in some stew into the bowls in front of her. A delicious aroma could be smelled as the stew was carefully being poured.

"Serve these." The woman ordered.

"Okay." With a nod, Apprentice Scout and Half-Elf Brawler stood up and picked up the stew-containing bowls. She served them to the rescued village girls first. The girls didn't respond so they just rested the bowl in front of them.

Rhea Fighter after staring at the contents of the bowl immediately began eating. Apprentice Scout and Half-Elf Brawler ate also following Rhea Fighter.

"This is delicious." Apprentice Scout said impressed.

"Indeed it is." Half-Elf Brawler.

"I told you. Eating is one of the pleasures of the living I find most appealing." The woman explained. "At the very least I want to eat something with decent taste."

Half-Elf Brawler turned her head and looked at the village girls and noticed that none of them were eating.

"Hey. You all need to e-"

"Leave them."

Half-Elf Brawler looked at the woman.

"Leave them?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Just do what I fuckin' say."

"I need some reason at least."

"Let them slowly come out of their shell. They're traumatized you moron."

"Eh?"

"Forcing them out of their shell will do them no good. Have them unwind by themselves. It may take a short while or long, but have them do it by their own will and strength."

Half-Elf Brawler was about to continue with her argument but Apprentice Scout grabbed her shoulder. Half-Elf Brawler looked besides her to Apprentice Scout and saw her shaking her head.

She swallowed the words she was about to speak and continued to eat in silence while stealing glances to the woman and the village girls and back.

Soon, one of the village girls reached for the spoon with trembling hands. She dipped the spoon into the stew and put it up near her nose. Smelling the aroma of the stew, she soon put the spoon into her mouth. The taste was so good to her that she ended up picking up the bowl and raising up just in front of her mouth. Tilting the bowl towards her open mount she used her spoon to scoop as much of the contents as she can. As she continued to eat, the remaining village girls felt hungry and finally ate after watching.

The village girls began to sobbing as they ate. It was no mystery why. They were captured by the goblins and held inside the nest for quite a while. In order to keep them alive as long as they can the goblins fed them. But what the goblins fed them was all up to debate. They could've been fed rotting food, scraps of vegetables or meat, or even dirt. What's for sure is that the goblins didn't feed them with their best resources.

After an experience like that, a stew like the one they're eating now was such a blessing to them, no matter how simple it may be.

"C-can I have a bit more?"

One of the village girls approached the woman holding out the wooding bowl.

The woman looked at the village girl and released a small gentle smile.

"Ofcourse you can." The woman received the bowl and poured more stew into it.

"...T-thank you." The village girl thanked the woman with tears beading up from the corner of her eyes.

"You're welcome. I didn't pour that much lest you want to upset your stomach." The woman explained to the village girl. "But don't worry, soon you'll be back to the village and eat as much as you can."

The adventurers watched the woman as she talked to the village girls who slowly approached her. The remaining two also asked for seconds. This was the first time ever since meeting her they saw the woman smile so gently.

She had a cold demeanor and rough personality plus a very crude manner of speaking, but it appears that she's actually quite kind. Well, it should be obvious since she did help the adventurers in their most dire of situations.

"That woman is a real mystery." Apprentice Scout said as she dipped a bread into her stew and then took a bite of it. "I can't read her at all."

"I agree." Half-Elf Brawler responded. "But at the very least, I can tell that she's not all that bad."

Rhea Fighter offered no words in response, but merely stared at the woman.

* * *

It was already midnight when the campfire was starting to weaken. The light and the heat produced from it was almost gone. But despite the campfire beginning to go out, inside the tents were quite warm. So getting a good sleep wouldn't be that hard.

The woman sat on top of a branch of a tree. The spot she was in had a very good view of the camp that was clear and devoid of obstacles that will hinder her sight.

Soon, the sound of footsteps could be heard. But the woman wasn't alerted in the very least. Judging from the direction where the footsteps came from, she already had a guess who it could be.

"Can't sleep?" The woman asked.

"T-they just fell asleep." Rhea Fighter responded as she looked up to the woman. "I can't sleep."

"I see."

No more words were spoken between the two of them. The woman continued her watch from up the tree while Rhea Fighter sat near the smoldering campfire. She stared at the fire and hugged her knees with her arms. Soon, her body started to shake slightly.

"It's fine if you want to cry." The woman said to Rhea Fighter. "Don't stop yourself."

"I-I can't." Rhea Fighter responded with a shaky voice.

"Unlike your party members, I don't care if you cry or not." The woman stated in a monotone voice. "I won't console you."

Hearing the words of the woman, Rhea Fighter's tears began to bead up from the corner of her eyes.

"I won't help you."

Rhea Fighter finally began to sob. Her tears rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably as she continued to cry.

The words of the woman were harsh and cold. But it somehow comforted Rhea Fighter more than the words of her party members. She wanted to appear strong and firm to her party members, but she couldn't hide the fact of what just happened to her at the hands of the goblins. She felt hurt that she felt pity for herself. If she cried in front of her party members, she was sure that they would offer words of comfort to her.

But that would actually hurt her more.

She didn't want to hear comforting words. What happened to her was terrible and no comforting words would help with that. She knew that her party members would only want to help her, but she wanted none of that right now.

She just wanted to cry right now.

She despised the fact that she felt pity for herself.

No words would help her.

For now, she just wanted to cry her heart out.

* * *

"Well, all cried out?"

"Yes." Rhea Fighter nodded in response finally calmed down after crying for a while. "Sorry if I disturbed you."

The woman stared at Rhea Fighter for a few seconds in silence before looking away in order to observe their surroundings. "It's fine."

"I'm surprised you can see well in this darkness." Rhea Fighter asked curious as to why the woman could be such an amazing guard while the night was young.

"It's not like I can see in the darkness naturally." The woman explained. She then tapped the hanging earring on her left ear. "It's all thanks to this."

"That earring can help you see in the darkness?"

The woman merely nodded in reply.

"That must be so great." Rhea Fighter stated intrigued by the woman's earring. "I wish we have something like that. If we did, then perhaps-" She choked back on her words and didn't continue with her sentence.

"It's not like it's all rainbows and sunshine with this you know?"

"Really?" Rhea Fighter looked at the woman curiously. "How so?"

The woman reached for her earring and swiftly took it off. She looked back at the Rhea Fighter and tossed the earring to her.

"W-wait, what!?" Rhea Fighter scrambled to the raise to her knees in order to catch the earring. "That was dangerous, what if it broke?"

"If it broke that easily then I wouldn't be wearing all the time, now would I?" The woman replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "Try wearing it."

"Oh." Rhea Fighter stared at the woman for a bit before declining the offer. "No, no, no. I can't possibly this on. This should be really expensive. Besides," She pointed to her ear. "I don't have my ears pierced."

"Ugh, Just try it on! You're grinding on my nerves." The woman's irritation was obvious on her tone. "You don't have to have a pierced ear to wear that. It's a clip."

Rhea Fighter stared at the earring for a bit before clutching it tight in her hand. With uneasiness and excitement, she carefully reached for her left ear and gently attached the earring.

Almost immediately she began to feel some warmth radiating from within her eyes. The surroundings made it obvious for her that it was still night time, but the shadows the enveloped their area seemed to withdraw from wherever direction they came from. The darkness retreated and everything became distinct.

"T-this is amazing." Rhea Fighter exclaimed.

She then saw that there were actually small animals like squirrels and birds near them. Without the earring, she wouldn't even have had noticed their presence. With her eyes she kept track of the tiny animals that were gently moving around them.

It was here that she suddenly felt a sharp sense of pain within her head. With her hands she grabbed her head as she clenched her teeth tightly trying to endure the pain.

"About time, I guess." The woman stated as she jumped down the tree and walked over to Rhea Fighter. Without even asking Rhea Fighter, she leaned in and took off the earring and placed it back on her left ear.

Almost immediately after this, Rhea Fighter noticed the sharp pain from within her head suddenly began to diminish.

"W-what happened.. j-just now?"

"Hurts like son of bitch, doesn't it?" The woman explained as she swiftly climbed back up the tree she was just sitting on. "With the use of this earring, the darkness will be no problem. However, the burden it places upon the brain via the eyes is incredibly massive. Humans aren't meant to see that well after all."

"Humans." Rhea Fighter looked up towards the woman with a concerned gaze. "You're human aren't you? Why doesn't it bother you?"

"I got used to it I guess." The woman crossed her arms as she continued to slowly look over their area for security. "And I guess... I'm no normal human." She followed with a voice so low it could've been considered a whisper.

"What do you mean?" Rhea Fighter asked wondering what the woman meant with her last sentence.

No response was heard from the woman.

Both the woman and Rhea Fighter stayed in silence for a few seconds before the woman spoke up breaking the silence.

"Sleep." The woman demanded.

"What?"

"Sleep." The woman repeated. "We start at early morning. So sleep."

"But what about you."

"Quit your bitchin' and just sleep." The woman repeated but with a tint of annoyance in her voice.

Not wanting to anger the woman more, Rhea Fighter decided it was best for her to head back into their tent and lay down to sleep. She was starting to feel drowsy after all. She stood up and slowly made it towards their tent. Before opening the flap to their tent she halted her actions and looked back at the woman.

"Good night" She said. "And thank you."

There was quite a distance between her and the woman now, so whether the woman had heard her words or not, no one knows.

* * *

It was almost noon when they finally reached their destination.

A medium sized village that lived off farming crops and taking care of cows and sheeps.

The group was met with the village mayor and a group of villagers. The family of the village girls abducted rushed over to them and eagerly embraced each other. Countless tears were shed due to the reunion. While the village mayor offered a simple feast, the adventurers respectfully declined stating that they needed to report to the adventurer's guild as soon as possible and that they needed to rest both their bodies and spirits as much as they can. Especially Rhea Fighter.

"So you'll be staying here?" Apprentice Scout asked the woman curious.

"Not sure. I just passed by here and they told me about the story of the village girls that were abducted by a horde of goblins." The woman explained as she organized her belongings. "They asked for my help and I agreed. I asked for having a place to stay in for a bit and a bit of their crops for food."

"Are you having financial problems?" Asked Half-Elf Brawler genuinely concerned about the status of their savior.

"Excuse me?" The woman snapped back seemingly a bit offended by the words of Half-Elf Brawler. However, once she saw the genuine expression of concern on her face, she felt her frustration mellow out. "It's not like I'm poor or anything. In fact, I think I'm well off."

Apprentice Scout and Half-Elf brawler nodded to gesture the woman to continue with her words.

"I told you already; I just happened to pass by this village and they asked me to help, so I helped." The woman continued to explain as she pointed to her cart containing all her belongings. "I'm a wanderer. I really don't have a permanent place to stay at. I carry all my possessions with me wherever I go."

"So... you're really not an adventurer?" Rhea Fighter asked not really curious about the woman's background.

"No." The woman replied. "Though I do take quest here and there that are personally given to me by some people."

"Then... do you want to apply to become an adventurer?" Rhea Fighter asked as both Apprentice Scout and Half-Elf brawler agreed internally.

To them, the woman was exceptionally skilled. Just by seeing her actions briefly during the attack on the goblin's nest, the group of adventurers all agreed that the woman was way more skilled than any of them. Plus she has the possession of her strange weapons that were incredibly lethal.

It was no question that the woman could make for a very exceptional adventurer.

"I never really thought about it." The woman replied as she looked up towards the sky as if she was becoming lost on her thoughts.

"There's a lot of benefits in being an adventurer." Apprentice Scout added.

"Indeed. You'll have more access to quest that pay good."

"I'm not really after financial gain." The woman interrupted as she shrugged her shoulders. "I'm more interest in gaining information."

"Information?" Half-Elf Brawler asked as she tilted her head sideways in slight confusion. "Information about what exactly?"

"About most things." The woman gave a vague answer to the adventurers. "I want to gain more information about the world I guess."

The adventurers became silent for a bit not understanding completely what the woman meant with her answer. It was short and very vague.

"Well," Half-Elf Brawler broke the silence between them. "Most adventurers, especially the stronger ones, do travel a lot due to the variety of quest available in the adventurer's guild. So one can say that they learn more than just the regular civilian. There are also other races that live longer than humans that become adventurers, like elves. So they may be intelligent and know a lot of things."

"I do know other races become adventurers as well. I've met a few of them in the past." The woman interjected. "But, you do have a point."

"So, you're interested?"

"Maybe."

"Then come with us!" Half-Elf Brawler exclaimed. "We can guide you to the adventurer's guild!"

"Yes. If you like." Apprentice Scout added.

The woman fell silent as she weighed a lot of things inside her mind.

"That would be nice, I guess." The woman replied.

"So, let's go al-"

"But, I'll stay here for a bit more." The woman cut Half-Elf Brawler mid-sentence. "I did asked for a place to stay for a bit as my payment for helping."

"But you can find a lot of places to stay in town."

"I know that. Do you take me for a country bumpkin?"

"Why then?"

"I still haven't said that I would be an adventurer you know? And I still have a few things to prepare if ever."

"What things?"

"Why should I tell you?" The woman replied with a hint of annoyance rising in her tone.

Sensing the irritation of the woman, the adventurers decided it would be best not to pry in her business further. So they began to check their supplies and equipment before they set off towards the town which was atleast a few days away. But since they would be riding a carriage from the village, it should be a bit faster.

The carriage was prepared almost immediately.

After having their belongings carefully stored inside the carriage, the adventurers stopped just before they climbed up the carriage. They looked back towards the village people and the woman.

"Be careful out there." The woman said with a bored look on her face. "I won't be there to save your sorry asses if you get into trouble."

"Indeed." Apprentice Scout nodded. "We'll be careful."

The woman then tilted her head in confusion as she stared at the adventurers who all fell silent all of a sudden. She let out a sigh and scowled. "Well? What the hell are you all waiting for? Get you asses up the carriage already and leave."

"Yes." Apprentice Scout looked over to Half-Elf Brawler and Rhea Fighter and back. "But First."

The adventurers walked up in front of the woman lined up neatly next to each other and after a short moment of silence took a deep bow towards her.

"We are very grateful for you saving us." Apprentice Scout gave thanks.

"Without you, it was obvious what would've happened to us inside that cave." Half-Elf Brawler followed.

"I-I'm... really thankful to you." Rhea Fighter followed with a slightly trembling voice as she did her best to held back her slowly beading up tears.

The woman was caught bewildered by the adventurer's actions and their words. Her eyes widened for a bit before narrowing as she scratched the back of her head. "It's fine." She replied as she avoided looking at the adventurers. "I'm glad you're alright."

They weren't certain if it was just their eyes playing tricks on them, but the adventurers thought they saw a glimpse of slight redness on the cheeks of the woman.

They smiled as they said their goodbyes.

"We'll be looking forward to you coming to the adventurer's guild if you ever decided to."

"Go on already!" The woman waved her hand in a dismissive manner as if she was shooing away the adventurers. "Enough with the mushy shit. I might die due to how sweet it is."

The adventurers smiled satisfied as they waved good bye.

As the carriage that the adventurers rode on grew smaller and smaller in the distance as it continued in its tracks, the villagers went back to their daily life.

But the woman remained leaning against a tree looking over the horizon towards the direction of the carriage. She raised her right hand and put it up against her chest as she narrowed her eyes becoming slightly loss in her thoughts.

"An adventurer, huh?"

**To be Continued**

* * *

**Character Sheet:**

Apprentice Scout:

A porcelain-ranked adventurer. Currently the temporary leader of their party after the death of Human Archer. Most leveled headed in their party.

Half-Elf Brawler:

A porcelain-ranked adventurer. Belongs in a party with Apprentice Scout and Rhea Fighter. Quite energetic and prone to break things.

Rhea Fighter: 

A porcelain-ranked adventurer. Belongs in a party with Apprentice Scout and Half-Elf Brawler. Arguably the strongest in their party.

Unknown Woman/Wanderer:

A mysterious woman of unknown origin. Skilled in both short-range and far-range combat. Has an arsenal of strange weapon. Has a snarky personality and quite easy to anger. Has a very crude manner of speaking.

* * *

**Afterword**

Hey there!

I've become really busy these past month and had very little time to write.

Sorry about that.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue this story. While I do have a few drafts of the following chapters of this story, I wasn't really confident. But seeing the reviews and the very kind words gave me a push on the back to continue.

Thank you very much for the reviews and the kind words. I might seem a bit exaggerating, but I really do mean it when I say that they help me feel better and continue on.

If you spot any mistakes regarding spelling, grammar, and/or continuation, please feel free to send me a message and I'll fix them as soon as I can.

Have any recommendation regarding the story? Also feel free to send me a message.

Thanks once again for the support. Please leave a review if you can, as they really do help a lot.

See you in the next chapter

Laters~


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